Opposites Attract
by katierosefun
Summary: [Modern day AU] Katara and Zuko have nothing in common except for the fact that they were both going to college in the same year. Katara is a perfect, overachieved student, whereas Zuko is a rebellious, silent prince forced to go to a "commoner college" by his father. Of course, both of their lives took an unexpected turn when they meet each other.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello, **_**ATLA fandom! It's me, katierosefun! *waves shyly* This is the ****_very, very, _****VERY first time I'm ****_ever _****writing an ATLA story so...*clears throat awkwardly* Um...I hope I'll be welcomed to the fandom...? **

**Right - random, awkward introduction pushed aside, I'll just go straight to the deep, gritty facts of this story - ready? *flashes big grin* **

**This story ****_will be _****a ****_ZUTARA. _****For those of you who ****_don't _****know, (though I don't know why you wouldn't...) Zutara is the name of the ship of Zuko x Katara. Though I adore Kataang (Katara x Aang) as much as the next fangirl, there's just something so secretive and beautiful and dangerous about Zutara that I LOVE. (Does anyone else feel the danger in that couple? Just me? Okay.) **

**This story is also a modern day AU, and even though I know that there's a ****_lot _****of modern day AU fics with Zutara, I promise that I'm not trying to copy anyone's story line. Trust me. I haven't even read any ATLA or LOK fanfictions except for ****_one_****, and that was a drabble about crazy, sinister, badass Azula. **

**With that being said, please enjoy! **

* * *

_Chapter One. _

Katara Lee had never been so excited in her entire life. She couldn't stop smiling, for one thing, and the constant, energetic tremble in her legs kept reminding her of what was to come in the next three hours. At this very moment, Katara was sitting across her friends aboard a train and they were all waiting eagerly to make their arrival to Saint John University.

Saint John University had actually been Katara's first school that she wanted to go when she applied in high school – it had actually been _everyone's _first choice. And, by everyone, Katara meant her friends – Aang and Toph. Of course, Aang and Toph got into Saint John University through a scholarship – and an early one, at that. In truth, Aang and Toph happened to be a year younger than Katara, but it didn't really matter. The two students were bright and intelligent, (although they often tried to hide it,) and Katara knew that they would do just fine.

Now, Katara was watching Aang and Toph debate over physical education, which Aang hated and Toph (naturally) loved.

"It's stupid!" Aang said pointedly, crossing his fair-skinned arms. "The only things I've seen during that class are kids getting the seven bells knocked out of them and a bunch of big, dumb jocks laughing over pervy, creepy jokes."

"Dude, remember that _I'm _one of those big jocks." Toph shot back, giving the boy a small shove. Katara couldn't help but to smile at them – Aang was a sweet, sensitive boy with wide, innocent grey eyes and a cheerful smile on his face. He often reminded Katara of a younger brother, or perhaps a little puppy. Once upon a time, Aang had asked Katara out on a movie date, and Katara _had _agreed to it. However, after a few months of dating, the two came to realize that they were better as friends rather than a couple.

Toph, on the other hand, was a girl with dark, short hair that was held back by her usual, green hairband (with white puff-balls…which seemed rather ironic to Katara, in her opinion,) and constantly wore a mischievous, smug smirk on her lips. Like Aang, her eyes were a startlingly grey color, only, _unlike _Aang, her eyes were grey because she was blind.

Of course, Katara came to learn that she was _never, ever, ever _to underestimate Toph because of her disability. In fact, her blindness only made her a subject of envy for nearly everyone who met her – Toph was one of those girls who could beat up _anyone _within two seconds. She was constantly able to make her way around and, while Aang was sweet-hearted and kind, Toph was anything but that. To keep it short, Katara could only describe the younger girl as a loud, extremely intelligent tom-boy.

However, though Katara shared her differences with both Toph and Aang, she loved them both all the same – they weren't just her friends, they were her siblings, though Katara was _never _allowed to say that out loud. (For one, Aang would automatically get overly-gushy about the subject, and Toph would begin sighing loudly about how Katara had been watching one too many chick-flicks. But, Katara knew that the two secretly liked the comment. Still, Katara chose to avoid telling her friends these kinds of things.)

"Yeah, but you're a _girl!_" Aang was now protesting, rubbing at the spots where Toph's fists came in contact with his arms. As Toph gave him a rather annoyed, angry sneer, Aang hastily added, "Not that that's a _bad _thing! I'm not being sexist! Girls are great! I mean, not like _that _but –"

Toph blew out a breath, causing her bangs to flutter above her forehead. "Aang?" She asked in an exaggerated, overly-sweetened voice.

"Er…yes?"

"Shut up."

"…got it. Totally shutting up. You know, shutting up is –"

"_Now, _if you don't mind."

Aang gave a sheepish smile at Toph and flicked an equally apologetic smile at Katara, who was simply shaking her head at his less-than-clever comebacks.

"_Anyways,_" Katara quickly said before anymore debates could occur between the two, "what classes are you guys looking forward to?"

"You're asking us _that _question?" Toph asked incredulously, crossing her arms behind her neck. She turned to Katara with chillingly accurate movements. Again, Katara forgot in times like these that her friend was blind.

Katara managed a shrug and replied, "It's better than talking about physical education and the laws of sexism." At this, she gave Aang a pointed look, to which he replied with another embarrassed smile.

Toph sighed loudly and kicked up her legs on the seat next to Katara, ignoring the indignant, disproving _hmph _sound that came from the older girl. "I'm looking forward to _trying out for the wrestling team." _ She said, drawing out the phrase with a poke at Aang's arm.

Aang rubbed his arm and, though everyone were well aware that he really wasn't physically injured, he frowned, anyways. However, he didn't make any comments on Toph's remark. "I don't think I'm really excited for any of the classes." He said with a small shrug. "They all sound boring."

Toph snorted. "Aw, is Twinkle Toes suddenly shy now?" She asked lightly. "Come on, Aang, we all know that you're just _dying _to open those boring textbooks."

"First of all, are you _ever going to stop calling me that?_" Aang asked with a moan. "We're _sixteen _now – secondly, you're one to talk – we all know that there's a mini Einstein stuck in your head."

Toph nudged Aang again and lowered her feet from the seat. "First of all," she mimicked, "I'm _never _going to stop calling you that – you're gonna be Twinkle Toes forever. _Secondly_, well, _duh, _I have a mini Einstein, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm a nerd, which _you _are."

Aang rolled his eyes and didn't bother giving an answer. He glared at Katara as if to say, 'can you _believe_ her?'

Katara could only giggle into her hand. _Twinkle Toes _would always be Aang's nickname – once upon a year in middle school, Aang wanted to learn how to wrestle. (It was an odd phase Aang was going to at the time…)

With the help of Katara's goofy older brother, Sokka, (who also happened to be in Saint John College,) they managed to find Toph, who turned out to be one of the biggest wrestling champs in the entire middle school, hoping that she might be able to 'help' Aang wrestle.

Toph was also the daughter of the king and queen of another country and, in Katara's opinion, was the most unusual princess in the entire world.

Of course, it wasn't that easy – Toph automatically challenged Aang to a wrestling match and it didn't go well. Though Toph was blind and as clever as someone two years her senior, Aang was light on his feet and quick. In the end, Toph ended up losing to Aang in the match solely because she couldn't 'feel' or 'hear' his footsteps.

Once the four (yes, Sokka ended up becoming close friends with Toph as well,) were friends, Toph gave Aang the nickname 'Twinkle Toes' and frankly, Toph wasn't going to give up that name just yet.

"What about you, Katara? Looking forward to any classes this year?" Aang finally asked, choosing to ignore Toph.

Toph snorted and picked at her nails. "I'll bet she's looking forward to the classes – Miss Perfect is just _shaking _with anticipation –"

"I am _not!_" Katara interrupted, flushing at the face. The younger girl let out a bark of laughter and replied, "Yes, you are – I can _feel _it, remember?"

"Ugh – I wish you would stop doing that sometimes." Katara said, shaking her head, but laughed all the same to let Toph know that she hadn't really hurt any feelings. (Then again, Katara doubted that Toph would be too upset about that, seeing that the girls fought like sisters…but it wouldn't hurt to let her know, right?)

"I'm looking forward to the history classes." Katara said at last, crossing her ankles delicately. "Just _learning _about our ancestors and the past and –"

"'It's so very _fascinating _and _interesting _and I just _can't wait to get started' _and blah, blah, blah, blah." Toph said with a large, fake smile on her face.

"Hey! Were you trying to imitate me? Because I do _not _sound like that!" Katara protested, but Toph and Aang lapsed into a small fit of laughter.

"Sorry, Katara – but you've got to admit that was funny." Aang said, a wide smile playing on his lips.

"Oh, you two." Katara simply sighed and flicked both Aang and Toph on the arms. "Come on – how would you guys like it if I tried making impressions of you?"

Toph's face morphed into a sober, serious one and she replied, "I'd just _love _to see you try."

Katara smirked. "Wrong move!" She said, the corners of her lips twitching into a smile. She pretended to punch something and said in a deep, growly voice, "I'm Toph! I'm super strong and I'm gonna kick your butt if you don't get out of my way!"

Toph blinked. "You're making me sound like a dude." She observed, her face expressionless.

Katara dropped her arms and replied, "The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

Toph's face broke into a smile. "Are you _kidding _me? I sound freaking _awesome!_" She beamed.

Katara simply sighed into her hands. Aang shook his head and quickly asked, "Did you guys read the news this morning?"

"Of _course _I did!" Toph immediately said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She waved one of her hands frantically in front of her face and dropped it limply to her side.

Aang winced and said, "Let me correct myself – did you guys _hear _the news this morning?"

"That's better," Toph agreed and continued, "but yes, I did – isn't Prince Zuko and his sister Azula coming to Saint John?"

"They are." Katara replied, pretending to be interested in her nails. She felt a strange, burning sensation in her cheeks and with a start, realized that she was blushing. Well, how _couldn't _she? Katara _knew _who Prince Zuko was – she had had a _small _(alright, that was an exaggeration,) crush on the prince ever since she was thirteen years old when she first started to pay attention to boys.

Then again, nearly _ninety-nine point nine percent _of the middle school's (and high school's) girls had a bit of a crush or liking towards Prince Zuko. The point-one percent only contained tomboys like Toph and girls who were already taken, like Suki, who happened to be Sokka's girlfriend.

Aang and Toph, thankfully, did not pay attention to Katara's sudden shyness.

"What do you think they'll be like? Do you think we'll meet them?" Aang asked excitedly. Toph made a bored, exasperated _ppsh _sound and asked, "Why would you care? Hello, talking to a princess right here, you know!"

Aang smiled. "Well, _yes, _Toph, but you know what I mean. King Ozai is one of the most powerful kings in the world." He said and added, "Though, he's not exactly the nicest one…"

Toph snorted and picked at her nails again. "Oh, trust me, I know – when my parents used to have meetings with King Ozai, he would act like he's 'all that' and stuff. Basic royalty posh."

"_You're _part of a royal family." Katara pointed out.

Toph grinned. "Yeah, but I'm not part of the petite fours group, now, am I?" She asked proudly. "Nope, I'd choose the commoner life over being a princess any day." Toph turned to Aang and Katara and added, "And by the way, being a commoner isn't a bad thing, so you guys _better _not be looking at me weird."

"No, we're not," Katara replied, "but did you ever meet Prince Zuko and Princess Azula?"

Toph snorted. "Nah – I think they were stuck with my parents all day or something. King Ozai just _loves _dragging them around, I think. I heard from my parents that he isn't very fond of Zuko, though, but then again, I think a _baby _can figure that out."

Aang and Katara both nodded knowingly – it wasn't a lie. Whenever King Ozai and Prince Zuko were together on the television or radio, the king always seemed to be rather…cold towards Zuko. Of course, no one knew _why, _but there had been rumors that Zuko wasn't actually Ozai's real son – something about a scandal with Zuko's mother and a friend or something like that.

However, it didn't really make much of a difference – Zuko was still technically part of the royal family, whether Ozai liked it or not.

"Who knows – maybe Zuko and Azula will turn out to be nice people." Aang offered in his usual, sweet manner.

Toph snorted again. "Yeah, and I'll eat my socks when that day comes – trust me, I don't think _anything _that comes out of Ozai or from _that _family will _ever _be nice." She said. "What do you think, Katara?"

Katara blinked and looked up. "Um…I think Aang might be right," she shrugged, "they might turn out to be nice, normal people."

Toph sighed. "Ugh – you guys are so nice it makes me want to barf sometimes." She said and sat up. "But let's get on, shall we? Talking about the news is boring – d'you guys wanna play a game of Truth or Dare instead?"

xXx

After two and a half hours' worth of Toph belching the alphabet and Aang going into a long, detailed story about his pet dog, Appa, the train finally came to a stop. Immediately, everyone rose to their feet in a burst of excitement.

"We're here, we're here!" Katara cried, looking out the window. Sure enough, Saint John University's large, towering building loomed over the train impressively. Students and teachers and tour guides were milling around the school's grounds, Sokka one of them.

"Guys, Sokka's here! He's waiting for us!" Katara shrieked, dragging Aang to the window and poking Toph.

"Wow!" Aang grinned and waved at Katara's older brother, who waved back cheerfully.

"Come on, come on!" Toph yelled energetically, already grabbing for her bags. "You two are so goddamn _slow _– stop waving like idiots and let's just _walk out already!_"

Katara and Aang exchanged beams but followed Toph, taking a hold of their own luggage. The three were immediately swept into a crowd of other students, all excited to take their first steps on the school's grounds. Katara found Aang's hand in the midst of people and squeezed it with a friendly smile.

Aang grinned back and finally, the group of friends found their way to Sokka.

"What _took _you guys so long?" Sokka asked loudly, swinging the three into a warm hug. "Do you _know _how long I've been sitting out here?"

"It's not like we can control the speed of the train!" Katara replied, laughing. "Besides, you _knew _that we would coming at this time."

"Yada, yada, yada," Sokka rolled his eyes, giving Katara an affectionate noogie on the head, causing her to squirm out of his group. "You guys all know that it's great to see you."

"Uh, _duh,_" Toph said pointedly, "since we're like, your only friends _ever_."

"That's not true – Sokka has other friends!" Aang protested, nudging Toph on the shoulder.

"Nah – it's just me and Suki." Sokka said cheerfully, his smile never once leaving his face. "But that's about to change, since you guys are all here!"

"It's 'Suki and _me_', not 'me and Suki'," Katara corrected gently but was cut off by another noogie on the head.

"Shut up, little sister! You're not in class yet!" Sokka yelled cheerfully and swung his arms over the small group. "Come on, nerds, I'm gonna have to show you where you guys will be sleeping!"

xXx

After Katara, Toph and Aang registered themselves and got their room keys, Sokka led the group to the boys' dormitories. "There's a rule in Saint John's University," he said, turning around to face them all. "Girls and boys aren't allowed to _linger _in the dorms after nine o'clock."

"Why?" Katara asked, surprised. "I mean, I know that we have a curfew, but what if you're just out with some friends?"

Sokka smirked and clasped his hands together. "According to all of the teachers, they're scared of having girls and guys hanging out with…friends with _benefits_, if you know what I mean."

It took a few minutes for Katara, Aang and Toph to piece together what Sokka meant. "Oh, my God, Sokka, do the students actually get caught?" Katara asked, feeling her face heat up.

Sokka shrugged. "I think a few students got caught a couple of years back, but they didn't get into _too _much trouble – they were using protection and everything." He replied easily, sticking his hands in his pockets. "But still, I wouldn't risk it."

Katara nodded knowingly and the group walked down the halls in silence until they came to a stop in front of one of the doors. "Aang, this is your dorm room!" Sokka said cheerfully. "You've got the keys, right?"

Aang nodded and after a few seconds of digging in his pockets, he finally yanked out a small, thin, plastic card. Sokka took it and said, "You'll be getting a roommate – most of the time, you'll end up being besties with your roommate, but other times… " The older boy didn't bother finishing his sentence and swiped the card with a flourish.

"Well, here we go, Aang, this'll be your room – oh." Sokka abruptly silenced himself as he swung open the door.

Katara, Aang and Sokka all blanched at the person standing inside the room. Toph poked Katara, confused. "Why are you guys so quiet now?" She asked huffily. "There's someone in the room, I can tell, but I mean…what is it? Is the guy disgusting?"

Toph turned to the person in the room, who was calmly unloading his bag on one of the beds. "Sorry," she said carelessly and poked Katara harder in the ribcage. "Well? Who's the unlucky guy?"

"Unlucky?" A deep, somewhat annoyed voice came from the figure inside the room and Katara felt as though someone had kicked her in the stomach.

Toph frowned and she, too, blanched. "Er…" She murmured and whispered, "Is that…? I mean, we were just…"

"It's Prince Zuko." Aang mumbled, staring at the dark-haired, young man in the room.

The prince blinked and held up his clothes. "That's right," he said slowly, as though they were all simpletons. He turned to Aang and asked, "Are you my roommate?"

Aang nodded wordlessly.

If Zuko sensed any tension, he didn't show it. Instead, he snapped his fingers towards the bed with his suitcase placed over it. "I already claimed that bed." He said coolly. "And I know that the students will have to get to the dining hall in a few hours, so you might want to unpack quickly."

* * *

**A/N: *wrings hands nervously* So...what did you guys think? Great? So-so? Burn-it-in-the-weird-creepy-flame-thingies-on-the-Fire-Nation-throne-and-throw-it-into-the-abyss? *smiles sheepishly* Well, I tried. **

**Aang: Trying's good - you did your best, didn't you? **

**Me: Yeah, I suppose...**

**Toph: YOU DIDN'T TRY HARD ENOUGH! YOU HAVE TO BE FOCUSED AND READY AND - **

**Katara: *claps hands over Toph's mouth* Calm down, you're scaring everyone. **

**Toph: *smiles evilly* I AM THE EVIL MELON LORD MWAHAHAHAHAHA - **

**Sokka: O.O That's enough sugar for you. **

**Me: *snorts* _You're _one to talk! **

**Sokka: Okay, the _one _time I took your chocolate bar - **

**Me: IT WASN'T ONCE! IT WAS THREE TIMES! DO YOU KNOW HOW ANGRY I GET WITHOUT CHOCOLATE?! THEREFORE, SINCE YOU ANGERED ME, YOU MUST DO THE REVIEW NOTICE! **

**Sokka: Ugh. No. Fine. Ugh. Please review, give constructive criticism if you have any, and no flames. Flames are bad. Like, Fire Lord bad. **

**Zuko: Hey! **

**Sokka: No offense. XD **

**Me: Bye, everyone!**


	2. Chapter 2

***le gasp* I actually have people reading this story? Thank you! :)**

* * *

_Chapter Two. _

Once Sokka helped Aang settle into the dorm, (after everyone got over the fact that Prince _Zuko _was sharing a room with Aang, that is,) the group headed for the girls' dormitories. For a few minutes, they couldn't say much. Katara, for one, still felt her ears ringing after the encounter with Zuko.

_"__I already claimed that bed. And I know that the students will have to get to the dining hall in a few hours, so you might want to unpack quickly." _

Katara blinked and shook her head distastefully. She supposed that the way Zuko acted was completely normal to him – he _was _part of a royal family, after all, but she had hoped…well, what _did _she hope? That Zuko would be the Prince Charming of her dreams? Was that what she was hoping? Did she really think that Zuko would be one of those princes in the fairytale books who would sweep her off her feet?

Ugh.

Well, it didn't take too long for Katara's childhood fantasies to disappear in a flash – the way Zuko simply _looked _at them all sent shivers up her back, and it wasn't the _good _kind of shivers, either. It was the kind of shivers that came before Katara could storm away from a big mess.

"Well…what'd you guys think about _him_?" Toph suddenly asked incredulously as the group took a turn around the hallway. "I mean…he's hardly the kind of guy that you see on the television – at least, he didn't really act like it."

"Maybe he's just as nervous as the rest of us." Aang offered, tucking his hands in his pockets. "I mean, it can't be easy for a prince to suddenly go to a college like this. You would think that he'd take his own private lessons or something."

Toph barked out a laugh. "With _his _dad? No way – I'm pretty sure Ozai was pretty damn happy to get rid of Zuko." She said.

"That's not totally true," Katara said thoughtfully. "I mean, I thought Ozai favored Azula, but _she's _here, isn't she?"

Toph cringed and muttered, "If one of us gets her as a roommate, I'll personally push her off a bridge if she's anything like Ozai."

"You would _not _do that!" Aang protested. "You'd just get into trouble."

Toph smirked. "Isn't that my specialty?" She asked lightly. "And to be honest, I think I'd be doing the entire world a favor if Azula turns out to be like Ozai. The world already has enough bastards and bitches."

"_Or_, she can be really nice." Aang pointed out. "You're judging Azula before you even _met _her, Toph!"

Toph shrugged again. "I'm not _judging _– I'm just saying what would happen if she turns out to be like a certain not-so-nice person."

Katara sighed. "Well, now that we established _that," _she said slowly, "Sokka, what room are we in?"

Sokka tugged out a slip of paper and narrowed his eyes at it. "Er…you two are both in room 140," he said slowly. Katara sighed, relieved, and said, "Both? So, that means Toph and I get to share a room, right? Oh, that's great!"

"No one gets to shove someone else off a bridge!" Aang cheered and was promptly answered by a punch to the arm from Toph.

Sokka nodded slowly, though his eyes didn't leave the paper.

"What is it?" Katara asked, her smile fading. "Is there something wrong with the dorm or something?"

"It's not that…" Sokka murmured and flattened the paper against the wall so Katara and Aang could see it. He tapped the paper once and said, "It's just…you r dorm is _right next to Azula's._"

Toph's mouth dropped open and she turned around to bang her head against the wall. "This – is – already – so – bad!" She groaned. "First, Aang's paired up with _Zuko _and now _this _– is Ozai the headmaster, too?"

Katara placed a comforting hand on Toph's shoulder and turned to look at Sokka. "Are you sure?" She asked, leaning over to look at the paper herself. Unfortunately, the older boy was telling the truth. Written on the paper, plain as day, stated that Azula was only a room away from Katara and Toph's dorm.

"Maybe Azula will be alright." Aang said hopefully. "You've never met her – you can't possibly –"

Someone cleared a throat _loudly _from behind the group. "Are you all just going to _stand _there? There _are _some people trying to move in, if you haven't noticed." A cold, female voice said haughtily.

Everyone visibly stiffened – they all could recognize that voice from _anywhere_. After all, it had been speaking to them from the radio, the television…

The group slowly turned around and simply stared at the speaker. Standing before them was none other than Princess Azula. Her absurd, golden (Katara had always thought that those eyes were fake – but apparently, many people from the Fire Nation had that coloring in their eyes…) eyes were narrowed at the group and giving them all ups-and-downs. Azula was, as always, dressed in fine, rich, red clothing from head to toe and her hair was held up in a neat, elegant bun. Her nails were sharp and manicured and Azula seemed rather intent on flicking them at any surface her hand came upon.

Katara felt a chill go up her spine. She had a very, _very _bad feeling that Azula was _exactly _what Toph had speculated before. _Ooh, sorry, Aang, _she thought to herself and flicked a glance at her friend, who didn't acknowledge Katara whatsoever. It seemed that he was still rather focused on staring at Azula.

Katara slid her eyes to around Azula instead and was less-than-surprised to see that the princess was flanked by her two friends, who have also appeared on the television numerous times.

_Lady Mai and Ty-Lee_, Katara managed to think as she spotted the two girls. She remembered hearing that though Mai wasn't _quite _a princess, she was still part of a royal family, whereas Ty-Lee wasn't part of any royal, important family at all. She was something of a _charity project _of Azula's, but Katara had learned from the television that Ty-Lee had a wicked skill in gymnastics and martial arts.

Katara quietly observed Lady Mai and Ty-Lee as they all stared at each other. Lady Mai was wearing her usual, bored expression and though Katara thought she would've been pretty with her sharp, grey eyes and her sharp-chinned face, the sullen attitude and anger radiating off of the girl just took away any remaining beauty that Mai might have once had.

Ty-Lee, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. In fact, if Katara hadn't known about her already, she wouldn't have _ever _thought that _she _would get tangled in the likes of Azula or Mai. Ty-Lee was, in fact, the only one in Azula's group wearing a neutral, happy smile on her face. Like Mai, her eyes were grey, but wide and filled with a startling sense of innocence. Ty-Lee was dressed in cheerful, girly pinks and light reds and her dark brown hair was held up in a simple, yet playful braid.

Again, it struck Katara silly how someone so cheerful and kind-looking could _ever_ be a part of Azula's little posse.

"Erm…hello." Aang said shyly, giving a small, halfhearted wave at the three girls. The only person who acted even a _bit _friendly was Ty-Lee, who just gave Aang a little nod and smile.

"You're in our way." Azula said coolly, gripping one of her hands over a large suitcase. "_Move_."

Aang's cheeks pinked and he tugged Sokka's sleeve. "Uh…of course." He said, obviously fighting to remain calm. As if on cue, everyone parted before Azula and her friends.

Katara held her breath – alright, this was _definitely _a wrong start…but maybe, if they all got out of Azula's way, then the school year wouldn't be _totally _awful –

"No _thank you_?" Toph snorted as Azula passed by. "_Rude_."

Katara immediately knew that Toph had made a mistake. Azula turned around slowly and looked at Toph, her icy eyes flitting up and down the younger girl's figure. Katara's stomach gave a little lurch as a small, unkind smile twitched at Azula's lips.

"_Oh…_you're Toph Beifong." Azula said in a non-impressed voice. "Earth Nation, right? _You _should know about rudeness, seeing that you're from the nation of pigs and slobs. Your _seal _is even a flying _pig_."

As if on cue, Mai smirked and Ty-Lee gave a high-pitched giggle. Katara felt Toph stiffen next to her but the younger girl didn't show any other signs of embarrassment or discomfort.

"Actually, it's a flying _boar_." Toph said coolly, mimicking Azula's tone. "But you know, I wouldn't expect _you _to know, seeing that you're from the nation that only teaches kids how to _worship your daddy." _

In a flash, Azula had pinned Toph to the wall, a sharp nail digging into the younger girl's shoulder. "I wouldn't insult my father if I were you," she said in a dangerously soft voice. "After all, he _will be _the most powerful ruler in the world."

Aang, Katara and Sokka immediately surged forward, but Mai and Ty-Lee stepped in front of them, wearing identical smirks.

"I'm afraid Princess Azula doesn't want any comments from the peanut gallery." Mai said in a bored, flat tone.

Katara frowned and tried pushing past the two girls, only to be shortly stopped by them again.

"Aw, where do you think you're going, sweetie?" Ty-Lee asked in a high-pitched, giggly voice. "Didn't you hear Mai? Azula doesn't want to be disturbed."

"Toph!" Aang called from over Mai's shoulder, but their friend didn't show any signs of acknowledgement at the group's struggle.

"Hmm…you know, I suppose this would be the part where I would have to be begging for mercy, but the thing is, I don't want to." Toph murmured casually, though her voice held the same note of steel. Katara felt an unexpected flush of pride at Toph's stubborn attitude. In times like these, she was grateful that Toph had such nerves as these.

"I could have you thrown in jail." Azula said unblinkingly.

Toph shrugged. "And I can have _you _thrown in jail." She retorted and before Azula could say anything else, Toph kicked the older girl off of her. Azula was caught by surprise – she immediately backed away and Toph brushed herself off.

"Oh, and my parents will be _very _displeased with how I'm being treated by Princess Azula herself – I'm blind, you see." Toph said, gesturing to her eyes with a falsely sweet smile. Azula didn't say anything – she simply glared spitefully – the idea of being humiliated by a younger girl was simply horrifying for her.

"I would watch my step carefully if I were you, Toph Beifong." Azula spat and spun around on her heel. Katara watched as Azula and her two friends sashayed away from them.

The second they were inside their room, Sokka let out a low whistle. "Well…_someone's _on her cycle…" He murmured and smirked at the rest of the group. "Am I right, or am I right?"

Toph snorted. "Oh, I'll bet you a million bucks that Azula's _always _on her cycle." She said and turned to Katara. "D'you have the room key?"

Katara nodded and dug it out of her pocket. She wordlessly inserted the key and swung the door open. Toph took a deep breath and walked inside before immediately flinging herself on top of one of the beds. She hit the mattress squarely on her back and let out a happy sigh.

"At least we don't have any annoying members of the royal family in here!" She said cheerfully. "Er, no offense, Aang."

"None taken, Toph." Aang replied dryly, helping Katara move their bags inside the room.

"Well, _you're _part of a royal family." Katara simply commented, lugging her bag on top of the bed opposite Toph's.

Toph shrugged and sat up. "But the thing is, I'm not a _snobby _member of the royal family, unlike the little princess next door." She said loftily and jumped off the bed. "Katara, help me unpack, will you?"

Katara grinned and replied, "Of course."

The room that Katara and Toph shared wasn't really that different from Aang and Zuko's, except perhaps there was a different view from the windows. The windows in the room overlooked a small courtyard, which Katara was grateful for. It would've been better to look at the courtyard rather a parking lot or something.

There were two, clean, white-blanketed beds and identical, black desks on each side of the room. Two wooden dressers were sitting next to each other, waiting to be opened and filled up with belongings. A bathroom was connected to the dorm, which held only one shower stall and a toilet and sink. A mirror was hanging from the wall.

Katara loved it.

"Well…this is cozy." She said out loud, placing some of Toph's clothes inside one of the dressers.

"Cozy?" Toph grinned and turned to Sokka. "How much time do we have before we go to the dining hall?"

Sokka checked his watch. "We've still got about two hours." He replied comfortably.

"Great – maybe we can explore!" Katara said, quickly unloading the rest of her belongings. "I want to check out the library and the science labs and the –"

"_Whoa, _hold it, Miss Perfect." Toph said, lifting a hand and sat down on the floor. "Let's not get ourselves overexcited about classes just yet."

Katara made a small harrumphing sound and sat next to Toph. "Oh, yeah? Then what do _you _want to do?" She asked lightly.

Toph shrugged. "We're in college! We can…talk, hang out, chill…pull pranks." She ended the last bit with a wide, evil grin that sent shivers up Katara's spine. Sokka let out a laugh and said, "As much as I want to, I don't think that's a smart idea, since her royal highness is next door." He poked a thumb at the wall, as if Azula might actually be listening on the other side.

"Sokka's right – we all got off on a bad start." Aang said gently. "I don't think it'd be wise to start anything else."

"Ugh – what happened to you guys? We used to be _obsessed _with having fun." Toph groaned, kicking herself back against the bed. Katara rolled her eyes and replied, "_Later_, Toph."

Sokka let out a laugh and checked his bit of paper. His eyes suddenly grew to the size of golf balls and yelled, "I forgot – you guys have orientation now!"

Katara bounced to her feet and shouted, "_What?!_"

"Apparently, it's in the auditorium – we have to go _now_, or else you won't be able to know everything else!" Sokka said hurriedly, shoving Toph and Aang and Katara out the door. "Fuck, I totally forgot about it!"

As soon as the four had gotten out of the door, they sprinted down the hallway while Sokka shouted directions. Katara swore under her breath and asked, "How could you _forget _something like that?!"

Sokka shook his head and replied breathlessly, "I got sidetracked, okay? _You _try taking care of three younger kids."

"She practically _does _– she's your sister, remember?" Toph said over her shoulder. Sokka pouted, but didn't reply. Within minutes, the group of friends skidded to a stop in front of the auditorium.

"I'll see you guys soon." Sokka said, opening the doors. Immediately, everyone inside the large room turned around to look at Toph, Aang and Katara. The person standing on the stage – the headmaster, no doubt – lifted an eyebrow and said coolly, "It's so good of you to join us."

Katara pinked at the cheeks and she simply said, "We…didn't know about the orientation until now. Our apologies." She gave a small bow before heading into one of the rows of seats. Toph and Aang plopped themselves next to her and the auditorium was filled with several titters and snickers before the students turned back to the headmaster, who looked unimpressed with their less-than-punctual entrance.

"Well, then." He said, clasping his hands behind his back. "_As _I was saying, this college was built on the concept that…"

The rest of the orientation went by quickly – Katara learned that the headmaster's name was Pakku and he was not one to tolerate nonsense. Once the orientation ended, the students were immediately released to take a few minutes to themselves before going to the dining hall.

"All I heard was blah, blah, blah." Toph said, wrinkling her nose.

"Really? I don't think we should get on his bad side." Aang replied, looking over his shoulder.

Toph grinned. "See, Aang, unlike you, I don't take Headmaster Pakku's words as a warning – more as a _welcome _sign."

"Of _course_, you would." Katara laughed. "But Aang's got a point – let's _try _not to create any chaos for now, okay?"

Before Toph could answer, something – or some_one_ crashed into Katara, knocking her to the ground. She cried out in surprise and felt something fall on top of her.

"Katara!" Aang quickly grabbed her hands and yanked her back up to her feet, causing the thing that was on Katara to fall to the ground with a _thud_.

"Great job, Aang." Toph said sarcastically, looking down. She frowned and asked, "Um…you okay, random-person-who-tripped?"

For a second, there wasn't any response. Then, Katara made out a person pushing himself off the floor. For the second time that day, Katara felt her breath getting caught in her throat.

Zuko brushed himself off and said quietly, "Sorry. Wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"Oh." Aang said shortly and looked over at Katara, who managed a small shrug. "It's fine," she replied casually.

_I'm talking to Prince Zuko – oh, my God – act natural – huh, he looks normal when he's not on the television – Katara, focus! _

Zuko simply gave a small nod and without another word, he abruptly walked away.

"Well…he's got more manners than Azula, that's for sure." Toph said.

* * *

**A/N: No, doods, I'm _not _gonna have Katara and Zuko's relationship escalate in a freakishly fast way because I mean, let's face it - no one gets a boyfriend or girlfriend that fast unless it's in the Disney movies. XD (Not hating on Disney...) I'm going to make this as realistic as I possibly can! XD **

**Zuko: Realistic? But we're people in your head, we can't possibly be as realistic as - **

**Me: It's a figure of speech, dum-dumb. **

**Sokka: HA! DUMB-DUMB! ZUKO'S A DUMB-DUMB! **

**Me: Can it, turnip-head! **

**Sokka: ...okay, not nice. I am NOT a turnip - **

**Me: Well, your hairstyle...**

**Sokka: ...not nice. Please review, give constructive criticism if you have any and no flames! **

**Toph: Yaaaay, point goes to Turnip Head! **

**Sokka: STOP CALLING ME THAT! **

**Me: XD See ya'll later! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh, my gosh, I'm finally updating this story. O.O I'm so sorry for the wait - I was distracted by other stories and I was also away for a short time, therefore unable to write any proper chapters on my laptop. I'm not going to lie, either. I had something of a writer's block on this story until reading ****_Fangirl _****by Rainbow Rowell. (I recommend this book - every single FanFiction writer and fangirl can relate to this story. :)) **

**Now, without further ado, enjoy! **

* * *

_Chapter Three. _

The dining hall wasn't nearly as crowded as the auditorium when Aang, Toph, Sokka and Katara walked inside. Besides a few, anxious-looking students, the large room looked rather deserted, which, at the moment, Katara was grateful for. She wasn't ready to meet her fellow students just yet, especially after encountering Azula and her little group.

_Well, Azula is Azula. She's the princess. _Katara thought glumly to herself and slid into a seat. She tapped her fingers on the long, wooden table in front of her and looked up to see Aang and Toph seating themselves across from her. "Well…what was _that _all about?" Toph asked at last.

"What was what all about?" Sokka and Katara asked at the same time, though both of their voices held different tones. Sokka looked purely confused, whereas Katara was trying her best to avoid any questions regarding a certain topic. Toph blew out an exasperated breath and turned to Sokka. "Prince Zuko crashed into Katara – he was actually pretty decent about it, too, unlike his sister." She said promptly. "And Katara hasn't said a _single _word about it – I personally thought she would have activated her fan girl mode by now."

Katara blinked. "_Fan girl _mode?" She asked incredulously. "What's _that _supposed to mean?"

Toph snorted and picked at a part of the table. "Oh, come on, Katara – it's _obvious _you like him. You're not very good at keeping secrets, you know."

Immediately, Sokka and Aang's heads whipped around to look at Katara, who had a delicate blush creeping up her cheeks. "What?" She squeaked. "I – I don't know what you're talking about!" Toph feigned a yawn and said, "You're not impressing anyone, sweetie."

Katara bristled and held her hands to her face. "Fine – I liked him when I was in middle school, but to my defense, _everyone _liked him!" She protested at Toph's smug grin.

"Toph didn't." Aang pointed out – it was the first thing he had said for that entire evening. Toph shrugged. "Maybe that's because I've never really _seen _him – ha, ha, get it? Since I'm blind?" She beamed, flapping her hand around her eyes. Aang cringed – he would, seeing that he never liked how Toph made jokes at her own expense.

"_Anyways_, it doesn't matter now." Katara quickly said before Aang could say anything. "I mean, let's be realistic – Zuko only _just _bumped into me – it's not like he even knows my name and all that. And besides, he might be a creep – just look at his sister!"

Sokka tapped his chin thoughtfully and shrugged. "Maybe craziness runs through the family." He concluded with a shrug, earning an eye-roll from Aang. "Well, we'll probably know what he's really like soon, right?" Toph asked. "You know, since Aang's his roommate and all." She turned expectantly to Aang, who frowned.

"What?" He asked and Toph groaned, shaking her head. "Boys can be _so _clueless." She muttered and turned back to Katara. "I guess you can say crushing on Zuko _is _unrealistic – but then again, we would have thought that having Zuko at Saint John University was unrealistic, too."

Katara shrugged. "I'm not interested in crushing on him anymore," she said, and that _was _partially true. "You know, we're in college and everything – we're supposed to keep our heads focused on studying and you know, getting ready for the real world. Not some sort of fantasy where Prince Charming sweeps the princess or the pauper off her feet." She giggled into her hand and gestured to herself. "Besides, do I _seem _like the kind of girl who would tolerate that?"

There was a small, unexpected silence. Katara groaned. "_Guys!_ Come on, you don't really think I still like the guy, right? It was an irrational, illogical crush to have – I was _eleven _and I was _delusional_." She said.

"You've got _that _right." Sokka muttered. Katara frowned and punched him on the arm, causing him to yelp in surprise. "Hey!" He cried, rubbing his arm. "You deserved it." Katara said loftily and turned to Aang and Toph. "There won't be anything going on this year – I promise. It'll all be a big flop."

Toph shrugged. "Yeah, yeah, probably – now can we stop talking about this? I feel like a _girl _and _ugh_, it stinks. Katara, how can you stand acting like this all the time?"

xXx

Dinner actually wasn't that bad. Except, of course, the grand welcome that Prince Zuko and Princess Azula had. ("Prats," Toph muttered under her breath.) But after those certain announcements, students returned to eating dinner and that was that. Of course, there were a few, squealing fangirls that Zuko had to avoid, which was rather amusing for most of the boys to watch. And there were several, strong-looking boys who tried to get Azula and Ty-Lee and Mai's attention, but they weren't very successful. (Well, Ty-Lee was sweet enough, though it was obvious that she wasn't _just quite _about to agree to going out with any of them.)

And now, Katara was furtively scooting herself away from Sokka, who was, as usual, eating like a pig. She could have sworn that he was inhaling the food, not eating it. She turned to look at Sokka's girlfriend, Suki, to wonder if she was just as disgusted as Katara was, but the older girl simply rolled her eyes and grinned at Sokka.

Katara grimaced and returned to her food. It always struck Katara odd how her brother was always lucky with girls – she remembered how when she was a young girl, she would watch several girls in Sokka's grade just _waiting _to get his attention. Sokka, however, was always clueless to the girls until he was about sixteen years old, when he first began dating Yue, a pretty, white-haired (she dyed it,) girl in the local high school. However, she moved away, and the relationship couldn't really work with the long distance and everything. Still, there weren't any hard feelings and Yue _sometimes_ came over to visit.

And then Sokka and Suki hit off when Sokka came to Saint John's. According to the couple, Suki first met Sokka when he was bragging that he was one of the best athletes in high school, which wasn't exactly a lie – he _was _fairly decent at sports. Suki, who turned out to be _quite _the athlete herself, immediately asked Sokka if it were a true and the rest of the story was a bit of a jumble. In the end, the two got into a fight about whether or not girls were stronger than boys and after Suki beat Sokka in a wrestling match, (Katara was glad that she didn't see it,) the two started dating. (That part _always _confused Katara – did Suki think that Sokka was cute after the match or something? Or did Sokka let her win on purpose? She always kept those thoughts to herself.)

"Yo, princess," Toph called, yanking Katara out of her thoughts. "Aren't you going to say something?"

Katara blinked and looked up to see that the group's eyes were all set on her. She blushed and asked, "What were you saying?"

Toph sighed, exasperated, and said empathetically, "I was asking what classes you had tomorrow. You know, if you were going to wake up early for some lecture or something. Aang already told us that he's got to high-tail to class at eight thirty tomorrow morning for some dumb talk about living environment and junk."

"It's not junk! It's – " Aang started to protest but was quickly quieted by a punch on the arm from Toph. "Well, Katara? Are you going to set your alarm to some God-awful Taylor Swift music to get up for your lecture or what?" She asked. Katara sighed and rolled her eyes. "First of all, Taylor Swift is _not _God-awful. She sings from the _heart_. Second of all, I'm taking Fiction-Writing first thing – at ten o'clock, actually."

"More like Taylor sings from the hair." Toph snorted, but added, "Fine. That works. I've got a lecture around that time, too, only I'm not taking something as girly as Fiction-Writing."

"Who said Fiction-Writing was girly?" Katara asked, wounded. Toph shrugged. "Writing," she replied simply, as though that was going to explain everything. Sokka sat back in his seat and said, "Well, you two are lucky. I have to get to a lecture at eight, and it's on _physics_."

"I thought you liked physics!" Suki said, staring at him with a bewildered expression. Sokka shrugged. "I _do_, but I _don't _like listening about it in a hot, stuffy room at eight in the morning." He groaned and slapped a hand over his forehead. "Seriously – some professors need to get their act together and know that _no one _should be alive at that hour."

"_You _were the one who signed up for physics." Katara pointed out loftily, pushing her now-empty tray of food away from her. Sokka gave her the evil eye, though it wasn't very serious. "Yada, yada, yada." He grumbled and swung an arm over Suki's shoulders, obviously wanting to end the discussion.

"What about you, Suki? Any interesting classes tomorrow morning?" Katara asked, turning to Sokka's girlfriend with a smile. "I've got physics with Sokka tomorrow." She replied with a wide grin. "_Someone's _got to keep him awake." Sokka stuck out his tongue. "Hey, I don't fall asleep!" Suki laughed and shook her head. "Fine, fine, Sokka. Keep telling yourself that." She said teasingly.

"Oogh, you two love birds can be _so _disgusting." Toph groaned, shaking her head. "Anyways, moving on from the Public Display of Affection – are we allowed to get up and explore the school some more or what?"

Sokka cringed. "Sorry, Toph – no can do. You might want to get a good night's sleep, anyways. There'll be lots to do tomorrow, after all." He stood up, his arm still wrapped around Suki. "Oh, and make sure to come down here for breakfast – the food here is always pretty good." With that, Sokka winked and waved his hand. "Goodnight!"

Katara watched Suki and Sokka walk out of the dining hall and sighed. "Well, Sokka's probably right," she said, standing up. "We should probably turn in now."

"_Now_? No way! Our lectures don't start 'till _ten_." Toph whined. "If anyone should go back to the dorm, it should be Aang. _He's _the one who has to wake up early!"

Aang frowned. "What's wrong with waking up early?" He asked, confused. Toph slapped a hand to her forehead but before the two could launch into a debate, Katara held up her hands and said, "We should just go back to the dorm and just talk – Aang, you can join us and everything!"

"What about the boys-not-allowed-in-girls'-dorms rule?" Aang asked, skeptical. Katara swiveled around to look at the ancient-looking clock on the wall. Sure enough, the clock read eight forty-five. She sighed. There was _no way _Aang would be able to make it to the girls' dormitories and talk at this time.

"Oh, well." Katara said sadly. However, she quickly brushed the feelings away with a bright smile and continued, "You can come visit us tomorrow when we're finished with our lectures. We might even be able to explore the grounds!"

Aang shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "That sounds alright," he said slowly. Giving the girls a smile, Aang waved and said, "I'll go back to my dorm – hopefully, Zuko won't be there already." He shuddered. "The last thing I want to do is have an awkward conversation with him. I'll text you two."

"Great!" Katara replied optimistically and with that, Aang turned on his heel and walked out of the dining room. Toph looked up at Katara. "Are we seriously going back to our dorm _now_?" She whined. Katara rolled her eyes. "Yes, Toph," she replied gently, tugging on her friend's arm. "You don't want to be tired for tomorrow."

Toph sighed but didn't argue for once. (Katara had the feeling that Toph knew that the older girl was right, even if she didn't want to admit it.) "Fine, _Mom_," she said grouchily. "But you _better _not put on some stupid Taylor Swift music as your alarm."

Katara smiled. "No promises." She replied airily and led Toph out of the dining room.

xXx

Listening to Toph scream at Katara for having _The Lucky One _as an alarm at eight in the morning was _not _how Katara would have liked to start her day, but she had to make do with it. Quickly slapping her alarm off, Katara sat up in her bed to be pummeled with a pillow from Toph. For being blind, that girl had freakishly accurate aim.

Grunting under the impact of a pillow, Katara slid off the bed. "Thank you very much for that, Toph. I needed that." Katara mumbled, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Toph simply stuck a thumb up from underneath a mound of blankets and said, "Wake me up when you're done taking a shower."

"Fine," Katara called over her shoulder and after grabbing a set of clothes from her dresser, she headed into the bathroom. She flicked on the lights and took a good look at herself in the mirror, hoping that she wouldn't look _too _excited to start the day. She always read that it was too easy for people to spot freshmen and frankly, it didn't always look impressive.

Katara turned on the faucet in the shower stall and after hopping around in cold water, she managed to get it warm enough to wash herself. She tried not to drift away from reality – back home; Katara had the oddest tendency to lose herself whenever she was in water. Whether it was in the pool or in a bathtub or even just _standing in the rain_, Katara would often find herself standing in the same position for the longest time. She couldn't help herself – water helped her think and relax.

Soaping up her body and shampooing her hair at the same time, Katara wondered what the day would be like – she wondered if she would make any new friends, like the professors, like the first lecture, et cetera. She was pondering on all of this even after she stepped out of the stall. She wrapped a towel around herself and immediately got to drying her hair. Her bathroom routine still hadn't changed since she was in the fifth grade, when she started to pay attention to how she presented herself.

Katara shuddered at what Toph would do – she'd probably take a two-minute shower (with soap suds still in her hair, probably,) only take a few seconds to dress and already try to get out the door. There was _no way _on _earth _that Katara would allow her friend to do that. She frowned to herself – in these ways, Katara sometimes felt like more of a mother than a friend of Toph's. But that didn't change her feelings for the younger girl – Toph was still nice to hang out with and talk to.

_You're thinking too much. _Katara thought to herself, placing her hairdryer at the sink and getting to changing into proper clothes. She had decided to dress simply today – just a plain, light blue shirt and a pair of jeans. There wasn't anything fancy about Katara's outfit, which she was grateful for. Again, she was hoping not to look _too _freshman-like.

Katara slipped out of the door and shook Toph lightly, who was still snoring in her bed. "Come on, I'm done." She said quietly. Toph moaned and stuffed her head underneath her pillow. "Just give me a few minutes, princess." She muttered sleepily.

"You'll be late…" Katara replied, yanking the blanket off of her friend. Toph yelped and sat up. "What was that for?" She asked grouchily. Katara placed her hands on her hips. "Take a shower – you don't want to get to the lecture looking like you just rolled out of bed."

"Ugh – speak for yourself." Toph muttered, but she made her way to the bathroom. The door slammed to a close and with a sigh, Katara marched for her bed to straighten it out. She was just fluffing her pillows when her phone beeped with a text message from Aang –

_Waiting by the lecture doors. There's only a few students here. Help. Nervous. _

Katara smiled sympathetically and tapped back a response –

_Don't be. You're a little genius, remember? You'll do just fine. _

In an instant, Aang texted –

_There's some people giving me funny stares. I don't like the funny stares. I'm trying to be friendly, but ugh, what am I doing wrong?! _

Katara winced. She was afraid that something like this would happen. She tried to reassure Aang through another message –

_Ignore them. They're dumb for not thinking you're cool. Just focus on your lecture for now, k? _

Aang didn't respond until a few minutes later. Katara was beginning to gather her books and then Aang replied with a single, solitary _k. _Satisfied by her friend's response, Katara started to stuff her books into her backpack and sat down at her desk, waiting patiently for Toph to come out.

Surprisingly, when Toph _did _come out, she didn't look that bad. A smug smile crept on Katara's face. "I guess you're more excited about college than you're letting on," she said teasingly as Toph started to collect her own books. "Oh, shut up, Miss Perfect." Toph retorted, but Katara noticed that the younger girl didn't totally deny the fact, either.

Katara smiled – she was glad Toph was happy about being in college. "You'll do great today." She said, swinging open the dorm room. Toph sighed. "Don't get all sappy on me, Katara." The girl grumbled, going through the door. Katara let out a small laugh and, closing the door, the two set off for the dining hall to eat breakfast.

xXx

Sokka was right. Breakfast in Saint John's dining hall was rather good. For the first few minutes, Toph and Katara actually didn't say much to each other – they were too busy eating. Katara never knew how hungry excitement and nervousness can make her. As she shoved another spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth, she looked up to look around the large room. There were many students gathered in the hall – it appeared that they, too, didn't sign up for any lectures that required for them to wake up early.

Suddenly, loud, gleeful shrieks ripped out of the mouths of multiple girls throughout the hall, followed by the rumble of seats being scraped back and feet storming for the doors. Surprised, Katara dropped her spoon and Toph immediately clapped her hands over her ears. "What the hell is going on – did someone unleash a banshee in here or something?" She shouted over the din.

Katara craned her neck over Toph and sighed, shaking her head. Coming through the doors was Zuko, who was accompanied by two, rough-looking, suited men. "Nope," Katara replied. "It's only Zuko."

Toph smirked. "_Only _Zuko?" She asked smarmily. "Oh, well, never mind then."

A girl standing nearby turned sharply to look at Toph incredulously. "Are you _crazy_?" She asked. "How can you talk about Zuzu like that?" Toph stuck out her tongue, grimacing. "Oh, please don't tell me – Zuko's fan base came up with a nickname? Ugh." She shook her head.

The girl frowned and placed her hands on her hips. "And what would _you _know?" She asked stiffly. "How would _you _know anything about Prince Zuko? Oh, wait you don't."

Katara should have stopped the argument right there. She should have pulled Toph away, plastered a fake smile over her face and say, "I'm sorry about that," to the girl and everything would have been fine. But no, she didn't say anything. She simply stared at the girl and Toph dropped the bomb.

"Hm…well, I _do _know he's rooming with one of my friends." Toph replied casually, bringing her glass of orange juice to her lips. "Aang Kim – you know him?"

And that was when the girl's eyes widened to the size of golf balls and she let out the longest, loudest shriek out of the entire group of girls hovering around Zuko.

* * *

**A/N: Oh, Toph, what have you done? **

**Toph: Don't give me any of that - you were the one who wanted me to open my mouth! **

**Me: Good point. XD Do the review notice now, please. **

**Toph: *frowns* **

**Me: Now. **

**Toph: *sighs* Please review, give constructive criticism, but no flames, please. If you can smack that fave/follow button, you can spend two more seconds to tell the writer what the hell you think of this story. **

**Me: True that. Have a nice day/night/whatever-there-is-left-to-say-in-this-universe!**


End file.
